LSU moved to 3-1 on Saturday with a 34-17 win over UCLA. The first half wasn’t pretty, but LSU handled business over the final two quarters.
On offense, Garrett Nussmeier was the standout. He completed 32 of 44 passes for 352 yards and three scores. He didn’t throw a pick or take a sack all day and led LSU on two 90+ yard touchdown drives in the second half.
Defensively, it was Bradyn Swinson proving to be the difference maker yet again. With six more pressures, he’s now tied for the SEC lead with 16 on the year.
LSU failed to cover the spread, but there wasn’t much doubt about this one by the end. Yes, some issues remain and the Harold Perkins Jr. injury complicates things on defense, but LSU should be happy with the progress its seen in recent weeks.
The Tigers will be heavy favorites in Tiger Stadium against South Alabama this week before SEC play ramps up.
Here are five numbers that defined LSU’s win over UCLA.
UCLA’s 4.83 yards per play
UCLA had moments here and there, but when it was all said and done, the Bruins averaged just 4.83 yards per play. According to GameOnPaper.com, that number sits in the 23rd percentile.
That’s a solid performance for an LSU defense that’s struggled to slow offenses. UCLA hit some big plays, but outside of that, LSU controlled the game.
On the year, LSU is allowing six yards per play, which ranks 103rd nationally. The second half against UCLA offers some hope for that number improving.
0.95 EPA without explosive plays
The best offenses manage to score even when they aren’t explosive. That’s what LSU did on Saturday.
The Tigers maintained a positive EPA/play even when you take out the explosive plays. That speaks to the high floor of this offense.
Down to down, Nussmeier plays clean football. He doesn’t take sacks and he doesn’t put the ball in jeopardy.
On the day, LSU had just three plays that went for negative yards. This offense kept moving it allowed the Tigers to score despite some bad field…
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